


Frigid Tundra

by Spirit_Of_Life



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Brief Mentions of Jasper and Queen Frysabel, Cold, Cold Weather, Cuddles, Dragon Quest XI Spoilers, Fluff, Hekswood, Hero | Luminary is Named Eleven | El (Dragon Quest XI), M/M, Monsters, Small fight, Sniflhiem, Unconsciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit_Of_Life/pseuds/Spirit_Of_Life
Summary: Eleven is not as accustomed to the cold as Erik is during their journey in Hekswood.
Relationships: Camus | Erik & Hero | Luminary, Camus | Erik/Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 69





	Frigid Tundra

Sniflhiem had mysteriously turned frozen solid, covering the gates in large icicles and even turning living people into ice sculptures. The snow was falling at a steady rate, and every once in awhile the wind would fling the snowflakes around the quiet town. Eleven and his trusted party decided that they couldn’t leave things as they were as they searched for clues to discover the cause.

There they found that the Queen to their relief was alright. She told them her tale, and if they helped her out they would be granted with the orb that rested frozen within the castle. Without a moment's hesitation, the party set out for the frozen lands that surrounded the northern region of Sniflhiem. 

“It sure is chilly don’t ye think laddie?” The old man’s accent was still present as ever as he trekked through the snow. The strong martial artist let out a sigh, seeing her breath in the air wash away with the wind. 

“I suppose, but it’s not like we really have a choice.” Jade replied, wearing the least amount of clothing out of everyone in the group. Yet she didn’t seem to be struggling in the cold like a certain someone leading the group through the frigid tundra. His sleek brown hair whipped against his cheeks as they approached Hekswood, and his nose was starting to turn red from the weather. 

“It’s picking up pretty bad.” Erik put his arm in front of his eyes to shield his vision from any unwanted snowflakes. He still had not told the others about his past, let alone that he was even from this region. There was something precious he left behind here, and he wasn’t about to go spilling all of his secrets just yet. As much as he had grown to like everyone’s company, trust was something he had yet to give. Out of everyone, the male that he had a jail break in Heliodor was probably the person Erik trusted most. Not because he was the luminary, but he just had a calm aura around him that made the thief want to spill out all of his sins. Thinking on it, Erik thought it was unfair for someone’s presence to be so meaningful.

“Let’s stick together, everyone!” Serena’s light voice was overpowered by the wind that was now howling against their ears. This snow storm felt like it came out of nowhere, yet Eleven continued to press on. He couldn’t afford to stop his journey, let alone lose. No, he was bearing the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. A frown appeared on his face as his vision was being cut further by the snow that blocked his view. As if nature took pity on him, the snow eased up for a few moments, and when the luminary looked behind him, all of his party members had vanished without a trace. 

Eleven knew the risks of coming to a heavy weather area like this. While everyone was decently equipped and were very strong on their own, he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried now that they were separated. As his crew grew and grew, Eleven found it easier to share the burden of saving and protecting the world from the Dark One. However, being labeled and chased around the entire world was getting old really fast. If anything, it was slowing down his progress in order to quell the darkness.

A metallic sound brought the luminary out of his thoughts as he whipped his head to the left. There was a large creature pounding its fists into the snow as it made strange roaring sounds. He then spotted a large sword plunged into the snow, and a man on the ground. Eleven’s eyebrows furrowed as he recognized clad in black armor almost immediately. 

Hendrick. His most persistent pursuer ever since he jumped off the cliff with Erik back in Heliodor. As far as first encounters go, that one definitely topped the cake in terms of crazy. Yet, if Eleven got the chance to repeat history, he would knowingly go to Heliodor and get thrown into that dungeon all over again. There was something, or rather someone so precious that he met there and he wanted to continue his journey alongside that thieving man. 

Now was not the time for such thoughts, and despite the purple haired male being an enemy due to miscommunication, Eleven drew out his blade and ran towards the beast. The cold was nipping at his skin to the point where it was beginning to feel numb, but he wasn’t going to allow a human life to be lost. Perhaps it was his own moral values that kicked in, or maybe it was just a trait of being the luminary. Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish what feelings were truly his own versus the virtues that were forced upon him by the unique mark on his left hand. 

His cold blade clashed with the large monsters body, knocking it back a few paces. Hendrick didn’t show any signs of being surprised as he quickly grabbed his sword and helped with the monster threatening their lives. It was a strange moment of alliance, but the two of them together managed to take it down. However, they were only rewarded with their lower halves being covered in ice as a certain ice witch descended from the sky above. The clouds began to break, allowing small spots of sunlight to illuminate the freshly fallen snow covering the land. 

Eleven was frozen in a way that he couldn’t tilt his blade to chip away at the ice, and it seemed as if Hendrick was in the exact same predicament. The woman with frizzled hair gently floated in front of them, her heels hovering over the snow as she yanked off a pendant from the knight. She fumbled with it as if she was examining the object closely, and it was clear that Hendrick did not appreciate the gesture. 

“This is the one.” Her voice was slick as her eyes glanced up at Hendrick. This was the man that the person who released the seal wanted her to kill. She of course had no knowledge as to who that man was, or who the purple haired one was in front of her, but that didn’t matter. She owed that person a favor, and if the voice that pulled her out wished for this knight to meet his end, then she would grant that wish. 

Right as the woman raised her hand up in the air, a fireball whizzed through the air and hit her smack in the neck. Eleven recognized that spell immediately, knowing that a fiery little mage was behind it. Sure enough, a small figure emerged with the rest of the separated party and pointed an accusatory finger at the witch.

“You! What do you think you are doing!” Veronica declared, putting her other hand on her hip. The blonde’s way of speaking was definitely unique to herself, and it had an attitude to it that no one could ever dream of imitating. The witch didn’t seem pleased, throwing the now broken pendant onto the snow and disappearing. With her presence gone, the ice that kept Hendrick and Eleven immobilized shattered. The tall man then picked up his pendant and left without a word.

“Honey, you alright? I wonder what kind of crazy woman that was.” Sylvando brought a hand up to his chin after he gave a quick glance to make sure the luminary was okay. All seemed well until Eleven noticed his own vision begin to blur. No, he wasn’t allowed to rest right now. That woman was likely the cause of the town being in the state it was. He couldn’t let her...get away…

The luminary’s body hit the snow covered ground with a thud, earning gasps from his party members. Erik was the first to rush over and knelt down next to the male. He brought his fingers towards Eleven’s neck, checking and confirming that he still had a pulse. 

“That spell must have done a number on him.” Erik said as his eyebrows furrowed. He never enjoyed seeing anyone, specifically Eleven, in a state of illness or danger. He knew it was inevitable since he was given the toughest task in the world, yet Erik wanted to protect him from whatever may try and harm him. 

“Look, over there!” Veronica pointed again towards a cabin. From the smoke that was spewing from the chimney, she inferred that a fire was already burning. Perhaps the person who lived there would be kind enough to offer them shelter. 

“I’ll go rush over that way and see if anyone is home.” Jade didn’t want to leave Eleven behind, but she was arguably the fastest runner out of them all. She could give whomever was there a heads up, and that was exactly what she planned to do as she ran off. Sylvando looked between the two, and decided it was for the best that he attempted to be right behind Jade in case any monsters got in the way.

Without a word, Erik grabbed the unconscious luminary and moved his limbs to where the thief could carry him securely. He had dragged him before when they jumped off that tall waterfall, and Erik had become a lot stronger since then. He was resilient to the cold more than most, so carrying someone wasn’t a big deal. There was a small pressure on his heart that didn’t want anyone else to be the one to do it, but that was a feeling he quickly dismissed. 

To make it easier to trudge through the snow, Erik stepped in the footprints left behind by Slvando and Jade towards the cabin. Rab and Veronica kept watch of the rear for any attacks while Serena kept giving worried glances towards Eleven. She was an expert healer that had dealt with sickness and fatigue before, so it was expected that she would be naturally caring towards anyone in the group. 

It didn’t take long for Erik to arrive to the cabin with Eleven limp against his back. Thankfully a scholar was more than happy to let their friend recover from the spell that literally chilled him to the bone. The thief set him down on the bed, cracking his back from the weight that was removed. Yet, he didn’t feel any relief. He wanted him to get better and be back to his normal quiet and brave self. 

The door opened with a creak revealing Jade and Sylvando with fresh firewood in their arms. It was very much like Jade to do something as a thank you for the scholar, especially since it was Eleven he was helping. It was evident that the martial artist still felt an incredible amount of guilt for what happened all those years ago at the fall of Dundrasil. She was so young, and yet the one responsibility she bore she had failed. 

“Thank you, travellers.” The scholar nodded his head in gratitude, but he did not hold a smile on his face. “I had to ask for your aid again, but the monsters in the area have been acting up.” He looked out the window as the snow began to fall again. A sigh escaped his lips. “Would you be willing to take care of the ones by the cabin?” 

“Of course laddie.” Rab nodded his head. This man was providing his grandson with shelter, along with the rest of their unique and loud party. Clearing out monsters was the least he could do. 

“Oh darling, you should have said so sooner!” Sylvando moved his hand in the air with a smile. “Those monsters won’t threaten this lovely cabin if we can help it.” 

“I’ll stay back and keep an eye on him.” Erik didn’t move his gaze from the bed that Eleven rested on. Serena opened her mouth to retaliate, saying that she would be the better fit, but instead she just gave a warm smile. 

“You all are bound to get some wounds in need of patching up.” She put her hands together. “Let’s get going, everyone.” Hearing those words, the thief let out a sigh of relief. He would have to thank Serena for this opportunity later. The scholar then led everyone out, hoping to point them in the direction of the strongest monsters so the cabin would be left unharmed. The thief took a moment to look up at the ceiling, realizing that they were the only ones in the cabin. 

“You know...this isn’t the first time we have been in this situation.” He spoke out loud with a small snicker. Eleven was recovering, so it wasn’t as if he could hear Erik anyway. “I dragged you all the way to the church at the foothills in Heliodor after we jumped.” 

The smile that lasted on his face quickly was replaced with a neutral expression as his gaze dropped to the burning fire place adjacent to the bed and the stool he was sitting on. Honestly, what a handful the luminary turned out to be. His reckless bravery got him into a lot of trouble, yet he saved so many lives in the process. Erik found himself wanting to be a little bit more like Eleven in that way. He learned a lot from his life as a thief, but he wanted to spend the rest of it helping people in order to make up for all that he stole. There were good reasons for why he did what he did, but the guilt wasn’t subsiding no matter how old he gets. 

There was someone trapped in time waiting for him, after all. 

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of blankets shifting. Eleven’s eyes opened up, taking a moment to bring his vision into focus as he sat up. Erik instinctively reached his hand out, placing it on the luminary’s shoulder.

“Are you sure you should be moving so suddenly?” He asked as his caring nature immediately sept through his demeanor. Eleven just glanced over to the side at the other male and gave him a small smile.

“You helped me again...Thank you.” Eleven said, catching Erik off guard a little. Eleven was under a lot of pressure, and more often than not it caused him to keep a lot of thoughts, and ultimately words to himself. Erik did a lot of the talking whenever they travelled, not that he didn’t mind. It was just nice to hear his voice every once in awhile. 

“That spell got you pretty good. Are you still cold?” Erik was checking on him for any signs. Aside from feeling numb in his fingers and toes, Eleven was doing much better than before. He wondered where the others had ran off to, but it was somewhat nice to not have so many people around them all the time. It reminded Eleven when they first started their journey, and it was just the two of them. 

“A bit.” He replied honestly as Erik stood up. He was a bit disappointed as the hand on his shoulder was removed, but instead he was met with something much better. The thief had grabbed one of the extra large blankets, wrapping it around Eleven and his own frame before sitting next to him. Erik leaned back slightly, allowing their shoulders to touch as he made sure the blanket was secure. 

“The cold doesn’t bother me much, but we can’t go having you get sick on us.” Erik refused to look at him as his focus was back on the fireplace. Eleven gave him a small look of surprise before a small smile appeared on his lips. Erik was very kind for a thief. Perhaps there was a reason for it, or maybe it was just in his nature. Not everyone stole for the thrill, after all. 

“I won’t.” Eleven replied, and those were the last words that were spoken between either of them. The only noise that echoed throughout the cabin was the sound of the wood crackling underneath the flames, and by no means was it unpleasant. The two of them had shared many silences before, and it was comfortable. They were content. 

“Thank you so much for defeating those monsters. I wouldn’t have known what to do without your help.” The scholar put his hand on the doorknob and opened it to the cabin. The others were going about their mindless chatter when the older man turned around a put a finger on his lips. The rest of the party stepped in to see both Erik and Eleven resting with their eyes closed next to the fire place. 

Never did any of them imagine to see those two so close, or realize that Erik had his guard down. Yet, it was a nice sight to see that Erik was learning to trust those who meant most to him. Without making any unnecessary noises, the rest of the party settled next to the fire, sleeping the night away in order to continue their journey tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> The game just shows Eleven falling unconscious and waking up in a cabin the next scene over. Thought it would be fun to write what may have happened before and slightly after the luminary woke up.


End file.
